Top Ten Hip Hop lyricists of all time(it goes by clever lyracism) not an all time list!)

[B9King937]

The smartest would have to be Nas or Canibus

The most clever has to be Eminem or Big L

[MrRicoslick]

AZ- unique.

[MrRicoslick]

You forgot Ghostface Killah, Pharaohe Monch, Andre 3000, Mos Def, Black Thought, Aceyalone, Jeru the Damaja, Prodigy(in his prime) and the list goes on. I love that track Ill street blues; Kool G Rap classic.

[doubledoorsd4]

Godfather Don. 99% of you won't have heard of him but you need to do your homework.

[LetoEl]

I'm sorry you forgot Lupe. He definitely deserves to be at least in your list (if not number 1). Just look the lyrics for Dumb It Down and Failure, theres no question.

[jedii5]

corny

[TheRealFarhat]

Aesop Rock and Sage Francis?

[MCStefanHipHop]

the title contradicts its self

[imEyedleYetActive]

1) Myka 9

2) Eyedea

3) Qwel

4) Slug

5) Illogic

Funny thing is I can almost guarantee no one knows more than one or two of these five. What I can also guarantee is you will not be dissapointed by any of these poets.

[sedcdf]

Dope list bro. Saigon is pretty dope, but Big L is nowhere near the best.

[B9King937]

@sedcdf Nahh Hes talking about lyrically not song structure and hooks.

[smnmvl]

1. Canibus

2. K-Rino

3. Killlah Priest

4. Rakim

5. Nas

[lloydztss]

nas shud b1st 

[meth330]

GZA is the best lyricist ever !!

[MeanyMeanz]

1)K Rino

[loSTLumberjacks59]

I would say Immortal technique is the most lyrical rapper

[ablemad1]

where is GZA or Ghostface?

[ToneCapone120]

I can agree with this list, except Mos Def is a better lyricist (M.C.) than Black Thought and where is Krs One 1!!?? He shouldv'e been on this list too. Other than that, PERFECT!

[chiptooth06]

ur list is weak black thought at 11? you are high

[dezzy2dopetna]

5)rakim

4)eazy e

3)immortal technique

2)canibus

1)nas



[CFSPARTANS]

Like the list, missing the Genius though.

[OriginalEvilNoey]

Canibus is 10? Void.. BIG L will NEVER be anywhere near RAKIM.. sigh.. t

[OriginalEvilNoey]

Canibus is 10? Void



[gvon1989]

where the fuck is mf doom?

[MeanyMeanz]

How the fuck is eminem 8th Fuck this shit

[stanilasc8]

@MeanyMeanz ok then eminem should of been 13th i don't even know why Hip-Hop fans are still sleeping on Tech N9ne he should of been top 5

[Smileyfacedkiller]

1.Illogic

Illogic is the best lyricist. A lot of people haven't heard of him, but noone has better wordplay, metaphors or is deeper than illogic.

[grezzer31]

K-Rino makes you think (Who are you), Enlightens you (Grand Deception), Makes you believe (Perfect World), Tells stories (The Sorcerer's Den) and of course destroys any rapper (Two Pages, Barbedwire Discipline, Forensic. fuck it, too many to name)

No rapper is as diverse, he has a song for everyone. Lyrics on another level, no one even comes close.

[jaganmaster]

@grezzer31 u 4got duality but yeah k is the dopest ever. He certainly is the most diverse.

[EvDaMadvilain]

Yea Canibus should be way higher

[stanilasc8]

@EvDaMadvilain i agree canibus is murder

[MrJazzHOP]

Yea I agee..No doubt! K-Rino is ther most sublime, erudite brother to bless the mic - I love Rakim, he's still God, but lyrical magneticism? Gotta go to K-Rino - joints like Actual Acension, Duality, Book Number 7 Kill cats who step to him

[dedb0y]

1 eyedea 2 aesop rock 3 sage francis

[MrJazzHOP]

Rakim has the skillz to an art, then K-Rino - lyrically he's just off-the-hook, not even Canibus can step to his most erudite joints.

[kkuurriioouuss]

1) Nas.

[evelfresh]

Finally a list where emeniem is not in the top 5....

[themcgamer1000]

@evelfresh and the list is wrong

[evelfresh]

@themcgamer1000 not really

[themcgamer1000]

@evelfresh yes it is

[evelfresh]

@themcgamer1000 how can it be wrong if it is an opinion? Alright then case closed.

[lager5002]

tech n9ne #1 .......... thats it tech is the greatest

[TheHALFsavage]

5. Talib Kweli

4. Pharoahe Monch

3. Nas

2. Mos Def

1. KRS-One

[The12Jacob]

1.Nas

2.Eminem

3.Rakim

4.Tech N9ne

5.Immortal Technique

[nicklong1981]

black thought should be higher

[BugattiDreams]

no jada?

[TheTrampolineMen]

1. Canibus

2. K-Rino

3. Nas

4. Rakim

5. Kool G Rap

6. Kool Moe Dee

7. GZA

8. Big Pun

9. Immortal Technique

10. KRS-One

[Ostrasize]

@TheTrampolineMen Personally, I don't see how you're putting Kool Moe Dee or GZA above pun. It's all opinion though.

[rakimkoolgrapwutang]

@Ostrasize i definitely think gza is over pun but i definitely think pun is ova kmd

[corky541]

@vermont4life34 for K-Rino, check out Forty 8 lashes, grand deception, and The One. just a few masterpieces off the top of my head

[corky541]

@vermont4life34 for K-Rino, check out Forty 8 lashes, grand deception, and The One. just a few masterpieces off the top of my head

[MrBiace]

I just cant get it, how the hell people ignore this people, when they are obviously better than lyricists than Pac, or Rakim...

Eyedea. Slug, Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne, Doseone, Vinnie Paz, Virtuoso...

[corky541]

@vermont4life34 top 10 for sure. but its hard to argue for or against any 5 rappers to be honest. so many greats ya know?

[mattsch21]

GZA is the biggest overlook here, but Kweli deserves some recognition too

[sedcdf]

@mattsch21 Tabil Kweil should be considered the most underrated lyricist of all time. The guy has the whole package, and nobody doesn't notice that. He is very intelligent as well, same goes for GZA(On intelligence).

[B9King937]

@sedcdf Nahhh the most underrated lyricist of all time is redman no doubt.

[dsgg1587]

big L MURDERED jay z on this freestyle

[jayd4ever]

the best lyricists are gza,cannibus, k rino and nas and maybe rakim and kool g rapbut not sure

[jaganmaster]

Majority of the best lyricist are from NY but the best is from Houston & u real hip hop niggas kno who I'm talking about.

[corky541]

@jaganmaster K-Rino 4 LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jaganmaster]

@corky541 Yup, 4 a sec I was like "someone knows their shit" but than I realised it was u lol....U had him as ur no.1 on ur top 5.... so I expect u2 know he's from houston.

[MrBigBaggie]

Had my attention w/ Bone thugs intro ^.^

Good flavor in artists...

[Okanovicc]

I'd like Mos Def in this.

[corky541]

top 5 is like this

5)Immortal technique

4)Rakim

3)Nas

2)Canibus

1) K-Rino

[jaganmaster]

@corky541 nice top 5

[eagalagarza]

@corky541 I cannot believe you have Canibus above nas and tech and rakim. the fact that you have him above Pun and Biggie and L... Em Slaughtered Canibitch, take him off of this list. Canishit never had any chance to surpass Pun. "I'm carvin' my initials on your forehead So every night before bed you see the "BP" shine off the board head"

[corky541]

@eagalagarza in terms of pure lyricism, i think canibus deserves to be higher than those guys u mentioned, there are a lot of aspects of canibus i dont like. remember, this is most lyrical, not best.

[str8outtatexas1]

@corky541 -You have #1 just where he belongs. Brah i'm 44 and i have heard some of the rawest lyricist of all time like the great RAKIM,KRS-1,BLACK THOUGHT,THE D.O.C.,IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE,CANIBUS, & a few others, but for all those who are unaware & never heard of K-RINO you better find out who this cat is. This cat K-RINO will methodically,dissect any rapper,so called rapper,or wanna be rapper ALIVE! None of that pre-school,a,b,c, 1-2-3 cat,hat, sat, prenatal bullshit. A straight true LYRICIST!

[stanilasc8]

@corky541 is like this....Rakim Biggie Big L Nas Tech N9neLoyd Banks Kendrick Lamar

[CopenhagenKid444]

I'm pretty sure K-Rino is missing.



[curlyninja123]

WHERE THE FUCK IS IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE?

[vernston]

Not to insult you but the fact that you put Eminem before Black Thoughtful makes this a ridiculous list. No way. But it is just the individuals opinion.

[runninshyt]

kool g rap should be at least in the top 3 if not the top period. alot of ny rappers wouldnt be spittin the way they do if it wasnt 4 g rap

[dennys358]

guru is a very underated lyrsict

[Eminem117Nas]

why do people dont like Joe budden does it have to do something with Wu tang clan

[McLovinMcNugget]

@Eminem117Nas he dissed on Inspectah Deck from Wu-Tang, so yea i guess. Inspectah Deck is my favorite from wu-tang, so i dont really like him either. but his music is okay

[rakimkoolgrapwutang]

@McLovinMcNugget lol u again

[McLovinMcNugget]

@rakimkoolgrapwutang now its just weird lmao

[jayd4ever]

CANNIBUS,GZA,RAKIM,NAS ARE THE BEST LYRICISTS BUT PAC IS THE GOAT

[maxwellaswell4]

fuck eminem

[Seanh2k11]

@maxwellaswell4 fuck you

[urbanninja13]

your whack my friend. and whoever said joe budden should be first should jump off a bridge.

[SparrJonas]

all together nas is the best lyricist

[TheMENAREMYLIFE]

Chris webby is definitely number one. Everything he says is a metaphor, analogy, or creative reference.

[nicklong1981]

canibus should be no 1

[epiff92]

but that Big L free stlye is one of the dopest shits I've ever heard... and if u like Canibus check out his Who Shot Ya freestyle ... rips that shit to shreads

[epiff92]

bro im not tryna talk shit.. but why is it all East Coast rap ? except for Eminem ? there's a bunch of dope lyricists the West, South and Mid-West that your not giving credit too... Gift of Gab, K-Rino, and Tech n9ne all come to mind right away... cmon man show love to more than just one coast, hip hop isnt just an east coast thing its nation wide now.. regardless where it started

[TeamSk8orDie]

honestly Joe Budden should've been number one. i can back that statement up if anybody disagrees =]

[XLAXHIPHOP]

@TeamSk8orDie not even close to RA THE RUGGED MAN

[innocent718bk]

yo i agree with most the rappersz on thisz.did ne 1 notice that most of theses rappers on thisz list is from NYC haha love it

[pontus227]

come on eminem is a little bitch take him away and put in canibus fucking idiot and you talk about joe budden to fuck you and you talk about lyricsm

[thebobbyburrito]

@pontus227 go fuck yourself....eminem is fuckin sick so stop lying to yourself. hes not my favorite but seriously

[pontus227]

@thebobbyburrito eminem have just stupid punchlines and methafores about his mom and daughter and wife hes fucking patetic

[thebobbyburrito]

@pontus227 that was retarded...metaphors about his daughter?

[pontus227]

@thebobbyburrito no its true

[Kurmily]

where k- rino

[tikizh]

NIcely put i agree 70-80% with ur work but there should be some RZA GZA on it too....P.E.A.C.E

[kobesabeast1]

r.i.p. L. the best ever. that freestyle is one of the greatest flows ever

[RtheoneTolbert]

@kobesabeast1 big L the devils son

[JADiaz10]

@Mr713Lopez Em shouldve been higher in this Top 10 (Jst Sayin)

[McLovinMcNugget]

Without Kool G Rap: no Big Pun no Nas no Papoose no RA The Rugged Man no Masta Ace, or Eminem Kool G Rap is never outshined in a song either, always kills the track examples: "Fast Life" ft. Nas "Fall Back" Big L ft. Kool G Rap "Home Sweet Funeral Home" ft. Papoose, Jinx "The Anthem" ft. Tech n9ne, Eminem, RZA, Chino XL, KRS-One, Xzibit... Kool G Rap definitely deserves his place on this list, although I think he should be #1

[ShadowSpy]

(Y) top5 are undisputed

[MPrint666]

AESOP ROCK!!!!!!!!! King of clever lyricism. You need to learn something......

[TheXatabyc]

big l is not best for sure. Maybe i dont understand something and someone can tell me why you think big l is so good. i know lots more better underground lyricists than he is. yea, he is a good freestyler but in my opinion this is it

[111illmatic]

Good list. My top 5 lyricists

1.Nas

2.Big L

3.Eminem

4.Rakim

5.BIG

[Yungp187]

Are You People Being Serious

Where's 2pac

Papoose ,Jadakiss, Joell Ortiz ,Styles P, Immortal Technique, Dmx cmon

What people need to remember is lyriscm is An artist's way of expressing and showing emotion in an imaginative and beautiful way #nh btw yall lol

[TuanLeKreuk]

why the hell is biggie in there it goes like this

Big L

Andre 3000

Nas

GZA

KRS 1

[gsuperior777]

weres krs one

[Emron925A]

your missing the best lyricist of all time. Lupe Fiasco.

[pawzoff09]

good list but what about jay i think hes up there

[dyazmovies]

AZ?

KRS-One?

[doodledo2]

i think em is higher, no one can beat his best lyrics. that wasnt his best verse or even close

[jayd4ever]

i think biggie is number 1 in this then nas then big l but fair enough but attleast you didnt put eminem high like the white kids because his lyrics are decent

[DBTFxC]

where the fuck is immortal technique at?

[MJrealhiphopandkobe]

Likin the vid man, good taste in hip hop for sure, 'd put K-Rino at 1 though and Canibus at 2 if your talkin about raw wordplay and metaphors, Rakim at 3, and Nas at 4 for his wordplay and flow. Big L deff. had the sickest punchlines though.

[bball2908]

no lupe fiasco?

[khalilroukoz]

fuck around n find my silk box in ya mamas hamper! RIP BIG L

Punchline King!

[DjMuthafcknRukus1]

how could you for get AZ and GANGSTARR and MOP ?

[DjMuthafcknRukus1]

how could you for get AZ and GANGSTARR and MOP ?

[Sagefrakrobatik]

I prefer Gift of GAb's "Ato G" more than Papoose

[kingpolo88]

i agree with you 100 % but i think theres more you didnt mention like wutang krs one onyx and others that dont get there due.the music today is so weak and it really does lack that feel.i could go back to music from back then and pull some joints out that will blow anything that comes out today out of the water.real hip hop heads need boycot the industry.

[despicable45]

em should be ayleast 5

[elchingon7th]

wtf no one from bone thugs n harmony in this list

[zZPhyZiiKZz]

whats the biggie song????

[carayverson]

i dont think its an argument that if nas rapped on every album like he did on illmatic he would be number one, good list.

[mrbigdouchebag]

tech n9ne should have been on the list

[TehRoXXX]

im extremely happy that lil waybe is not on your list lol

[HOUSTONTEXASSCREW]

u forgot k rino lol one most lyricals you trippen

[jayd4ever]

fair enough big l being number 1 he is my 4th best rapper of all time but i think biggie should have been higher and may be eminem too

[sweetlax3]

daylight - aesop rock

[TheFakeAssGangsta1]

For me Rakim is always #1 but I got lots of love for BIG L. Nice Video.

[eminem4436]

Em and Biggie should be higher but Big L was a nice choice

[DTTV1416]

Where's Lupe?

[Tha4thLetterr]

Props on recognizing G Rap... tight vid...

[TheScAnNeR10001]

I sorry but BIG PUN IS THE GREATEST LYRICIST OF ALL TIME.

[jokertoker5593]

@TheScAnNeR10001 eminem kills him. period.

[HOUSTONTEXASSCREW]

@TheScAnNeR10001 k rino lyrical then that mother fucker in fact canibus k rino more lyrical then half most fuckes in that list

[MrCommenterguy]

Lyricism? slightly invalid. Witty lyricism? excactly correct.

[Benoh12]

deepest lyricist Sage Francis

[backinthespot]

nice list man, their all strong lyrically but a few that defo are behind most members of the wu, especially the rza and the gza, there too sick lyrically... Mos Def, lupe, ludacris' early stuff, immortal tech, aesop rock, mF Grimm, del the funky homosaepian. aswell should defo be up there and MF DOOM is far more creative lyrically than anyone on this list.... i love big l, biggie, pac ,pun, pharoh, kane and rakim man you gotta check out a lot more lyricists before sayin these are the best...

[jamesracek88]

eminem going down iin history yo for realk that man is sick he spits every lyric as if its just alright yo he a bad fuckin dude

[weezyfan25]

WHERE IS IMMMORTAL TECHNIQU!

[chvasmex]

clever and lyricism???

LUPE RAPES ALL!!!!!!!!!

[jonpasabbadon]

@chvasmex you mean Lupe Fiasco?

[chvasmex]

@jonpasabbadon yes

[albokilla1]

big l is my one of my favorite rappers but nas really is the best lyricist rappers of all time come on now hes completely debatable

[anokamn5]

canibus !!! :D

[rahully2j]

lyrically -

canibus > "Insert"

It's not even a question, strictly talking about pure technical skills and complex rhymes bis destroys anyone.

[mellowman1978]

Well anyone who really knows their shit already knows Canibus is probably the greatest lyricist of all time. Much respect to Pac, Nas, Biggie, Andre 3K and everybody else with lyrical talent, but nobody's able to write rhymes and smart metaphors like Canibus. Nobody really comes close to the dude. Hope this is a no particular order type video, cause having Bis at 10 is absolutely retarded.

[123lourob]

this list was ku until i realized you didn't have krs-one wtf

[cluenan]

Great List man. But you need MF DOOM, if you havent heard of him, check him out. He rhymes great everytime, ive never heard him not once rhyme something

[johncp1989]

NAS, EMINEM, BIG PUN in list but lupe isnt? lol. wow. this top 10 is R-e-t-a-r-d-e-d

once again lupe the most underrated MC in the game

[ignacio1234100]

WHAT EMINEM SONG IS THAT?

[DeathStroke47]

@ignacio1234100 no apologies



[Sirgreaseflick]

Rakim, man, for sure: his lyrics are so deep now that he eclipses current Mc's without a shrug or a wince: it's effortless, straight-off-the-dome DOPE. I'm pleased to say that I've seen this man, God, live and he is faultless: every word drops from his brain to his tongue like a gumball machine. Never heard any Mc set it down with such deftness and on-point fluidity...many will follow, but the leader always leads. Flow forever my brother!

[MrCommenterguy]

@conapples is the commenters discuss it

[MrCommenterguy]

@conapples lol, glad you respect peoples opinions- but the whole point of putting up lists his the commenters discuss it. Not just sit there and go 'hmm, I appreciate your opinion!'

[creptanightable]

big l illest mc that ever lived

[Keyz909]

Yes I Was Waiting Like Nah Hows He Gonna Ever Try To Leave L Out. But Thne No.1 You Got It So Right

[IBlackThought9]

Where is Percee P, Vakill, Aceyalone, J-Live, R.A. The Rugged Man, Gift of Gab or Elzhi? C'mon now...WHERE IS ELZHI?!

[rakimkoolgrapwutang]

also percee p edan and chino are mad underrated

[rakimkoolgrapwutang]

wat about gza listen to his song fame sick as fuk really original

[Errr231]

these niggaz go hard hip hop ain't like this no more its on some bullshit that's why i fucks wit the underground yo if you wanna here a lyrical genius check out Crysis Syndacade this dude is a lyrical beast just look up Crysis syndacade on youtube tha nigga is beyond sick

[ddoggSPK]

tech n9ne is the best hands down, i will post tracks if have to, "KC'S THE TOWN" NOBODY FUCKS WIT THE MIDWEST CHOPPERS

[DoubleAIV]

Why you put Nas over B.I.G?

@DoubleAIV Nas is more complex.